Instead of shying away from failure, what would happen if we embraced it? Here's how some successful people do just that – and how you can, too.

Randi Thompson's insight:

Most of us realize that those who do achieve the greatest successes... have made a lot of mistakes. Would you like to see how some people handle them and use them to build their success on? Which tip is your favorite?

We live in an age of growth hacking and rock star startups taking the world by storm. As a result, many of us focus on new customer/user acquisition, even though it can cost 7x more than customer retention.

“25% to 40% of the total revenues of the most stable businesses in the SumAll network come from returning customers. Even better, steady customers help businesses weather lean economic times; businesses with 40% repeat customers generated nearly 50% more revenue than similar businesses with only a 10% repeat customers.”

What can I do to improve my body language with some simple, actionable tips? The latest research reveals the best tips to improve your body language easily:

Randi Thompson's insight:

Your body language matters. Especially when you are in business situations. Do you know that crossing your arms tell people, unconsciously, that you are shutting the door on them and not letting them in? Check out this article for more body language that will make a difference for you.

Many people like to use the term user experience as a reason to justify their website design, development, search engine optimization (SEO) and content decisions. Why are we migrating to a responsive design? Because it’s good for the user experience. Why are we implementing structured data? Because it’s good for the searcher experience. Why do […]

Randi Thompson's insight:

Most of us are marketing online. What will make a difference in how you do that? Have you thought of looking through the eyes of your potential clients? What tip did you like best from this report?

Excerpt from article written by Dennis Shiao and published on Scoop.it Blog:"Every time I visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, I see something I’ve never seen before.Wouldn’t it be great if our content collections drew as much interest, respect and admiration as the collections at MoMA? In order to achieve this feat, we need to become highly effective content curators. Let’s consider seven habits:

1. Focus on Goals

What are your goals around content curation? If you can’t answer that question, stop right now. Stop reading this post, too. Go answer the question, then return when you’re done.

2. Have Empathy

You’ll need to have empathy for your target audience. In other words, the better you understand their thoughts, interests and challenges, the more effective you’ll be at content curation.

3. Be Careful, Cautious and SelectiveMake sure you read (and digest) every piece of content you curate. Curate high quality content only, leaving the marginal pieces to the proverbial cutting room floor.

4. EditorializeDon’t just share content, tell us why you like (or dislike) the piece. What can your target audience learn from reading it and what are the key takeaways? In a sense, editorializing creates a nice blend of creation and curation.

5. Provide AttributionProviding attribution shows respect and helps drive visibility and awareness to content authors. As you curate, look up the author of the article (or blog post) and explicitly acknowledge them.

6. Understand What’s Timely and TrendingSharing fresh milk is good. Sharing spoiled milk is rotten.If you find content that is time sensitive, consider whether the “sharing window” has already passed.

7. Have an Eye for a Great TitleNot everyone will be as thorough as you when reviewing content. A lot of people will click on a link solely because of a compelling title. As you sharpen your curating skills, you’ll begin to figure out what separates great titles from good titles. If you come across a great article that has just a good title, consider changing the title text when you curate..."

There are 100s of very similar lists of basic advice. I scoop one every now and then because, at the end of the day, it's the basic priorities that cost us most when we fail to meet them. Thus, this is good advice for beginners as well as other content curators

A brand is your promise. It is what binds you to your audience, to those that know and love you and even the those who don't yet know you exist. Your brand is how you make people feel. It's how you draw them close to you, or not.

Social media is all about being social. Not just about promoting your business. Many say that only 20% of your posts should be promoting your business... Even that number is high. Are you being social with your business?

Have you ever been to a slow site and it felt like it took hours to load? You look down at your computer clock and really only 30 seconds have gone by. That's just the user experience on a slow site- the real question is “Does your website speed effect your ranking?” Will your slightly slower site be penalized by Google and other search engines when you clients are even looking for you?In this easy to understand graphic, we see that 1 second makes all the difference in the world. And after just 6 short weeks of poor load times, your site can lose 75% of it’s traffic to that page.If you have a low ranking you might want to follow some of the Google Guidelines to pre-load your most popular pages to increase your site’s overall performance.

How much it costs to design a professional website and selecting the right web design company If you are a business or organization looking to make a logical cost decision about creating or improving your website, this article is for you.

Randi Thompson's insight:

Websites. How much do they cost and how do you know if the people you choose are the right ones to create yours.

Ever wonder what makes those wacky, creative types tick? How is it that some people seem to come up with all kinds of interesting, original work while the rest of us trudge along in our daily routines?

Creative people are different because they operate a little differently.

Knowing how to build a list can make a massive difference to your online success. An opt-in form can make the difference between success and failure in internet and blog marketing, and a squeeze page is an important aspect of that. It has been said many times, but once a visitor has checked out your site they are more likely than not to leave and never visit again.

Bonus giveaways: If you make it to the end of the post, we have made these 2,616 titles and all of their social share data available for download. There’s also a free tool for you to check out. Enjoy! lot of people have written about what goes into the perfect title. I’ve listed some great resources at the end of ... Read More

Randi Thompson's insight:

Check out these headlines and see which ones can work for you. These are the type of headlines that people will look at and as a result, read what you are sharing! Are you ready to make a difference in your business?

Offline engagement with customers still has unique and distinct value that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Randi Thompson's insight:

What can you do to stand out locally? You have probably created your online presence, but not everyone is online, and even than, they may not have found you yet. Check out these tips for ways you can connect with more potential customers.

You make a difference by standing out and daring to be different. People admire how you are able to do what you do. You matter. There are people in your future waiting for you to find them... so their lives will be better. How does that make you feel?

According to findings of a new study by the Webby Awards, Social Media platforms really do allow people to influence the purchasing activities of their connections. The strategic question remains, however: who actually gets people to buy? Some social media experts say you must win the “influencers” to your cause and make them your advocates....

* The data from the Webby Awards study clearly demonstrates that word of mouth product/service endorsement remains powerful and that word of mouth influence is strong on social media platforms.

Here is the first data point:

The first data point is that 56 percent of American adults aged 18 – 44 have been the first in their circle of friends to try a new product, service or technology.

Here's what caught my attention:

We also know that “influencers” hold sway over the opinions of many social media users when making product, service or technology choices. Unfortunately, the data will not answer the critical questions small business owners and marketers must answer:

Are influencers and early adopters the same people for a particular product, service or technology?

If they are not the same people, which group has the greatest influence with prospective customers or clients?

Our web traffic will live or die on how well we engage in social media. Google Plus and Facebook and Twitter and Pinterest and YouTube and LinkedIn and Yelp are all part of our social sphere of influence.

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.